Witherspoon
Street Under Scrutiny

Matthew Hersh

Witherspoon Street, the neighborly roadway stretching from the
once-aptly named Valley Road to the main gates of Princeton University,
has suddenly been the subject of intense scrutiny.

It is
under so much scrutiny, in fact, that an informal group of residents
has sought help from Rutgers University to devise a plan for the
future of the street similar to the Princeton Community Master
Plan's goals aiming to preserve neighborhood character.

Organized under the informal umbrella of the "Witherspoon
Alliance," several residents have reached out to Rutgers
University's Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public
Policy for outside help that offers a more objective perspective
than Princeton Future.

In a letter posted on the Bloustein
School's list-serve by a school administrator, the group specifically
referred to the preservation of neighborhood character and concerns,
suggesting that Princeton Future, a community group studying in-town
development, does not "represent the neighborhood" and
is "interested in promoting a superficial agenda." The
letter went on to say that Princeton Future is focusing on "sidewalk,
street, street lighting, and landscape improvement" to provide
a "smokescreen for gentrifying and commercializing the area."
The letter did not offer specific speculation on the alleged Princeton
Future agenda.

Sheldon Sturges, co-chair of Princeton Future,
said all the group is trying to establish is a dialogue and that
there is, in fact, no hidden agenda.

"The goal is
that all members of the community, whether it's the Concerned
Citizens, the Chamber of Commerce, the merchants, people calling
themselves the Witherspoon Alliance, and the Witherspoon Jackson
Neighborhood Association, come to Princeton Future meetings. "It
is a real, genuine, open process with a public record that is
published. We are keeping an honest open record of what people
think."

Princeton Future has neither endorsed nor
put forth a plan for the Witherspoon Corridor. And despite the
strong language issued in the Rutgers letter, representatives
said that they are "only looking" for discussions in
this process beyond those Princeton Future has moderated so far.

"What do we think is the right way we want to express our
view?" said Heidi Fichtenbaum of Carnahan Place and one of
15 members of the community group she said is loosely called the
"Witherspoon Alliance." The group, she added, does not
have an official leader, nor does it have legal representation
like the Concerned Citizens of Princeton, a community group formed
to combat Princeton Future's role in the downtown development
process.

Ms. Fichtenbaum expressed her desire to preserve
Witherspoon Street as a "town commons," referring to
the various institutions like the library, the Arts Council, several
churches, the Township's "town hall," and schools, including
Community Park and the University.

"In general, there
are people in the community who have concerns that Princeton Future
may not represent our interests, but I don't really understand
what it is they want to do," she said.

Mr. Sturges
said the aim of the Princeton Future meetings is to not put forth
prefabricated developmental ideas, but to cull ideas from neighborhood
discussions. "Each person is entitled to their point of view,
but what matters here is that we form a consensus," he said.

"If we can't, then we keep the status quo."

At the same time, recent meetings held by Princeton Future, have
suggested that Witherspoon Street's problems include not only
the possible expansion/relocation of the University Medical Center
at Princeton but a consideration of how that neighborhood, which
ranges from commercial to residential to mixed-use, will take
shape for generations to come.

On Saturday, Princeton Future
conducted the first of three weekly community meetings as part
of the group's Witherspoon Street Corridor Study. The first installment
looked at the northern end of Witherspoon, at the junction of
Valley Road and Route 206, near the Township Municipal Complex.
The session broke into three smaller groups, allowing residents
to brainstorm how they would ideally like to see that area. Princeton
Future has stated in its goals that a plan for that stretch of
roadway is needed for the Princeton community at large since it
serves as the "spine" of Princeton.

While residents
and Princeton Future representatives alike have expressed worry
about the impact development in town will have on the nearby residential
neighborhoods, it seems clear now that not all residents are comfortable
with Princeton Future's role in spearheading the discussion process.

Princeton Future will hold its next Witherspoon Street meeting
in the community room of the Princeton Public Library this Saturday,
December 11, at 9 a.m.